The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday formally introduced a brand new immigration enforcement crackdown in New Orleans, the most recent metropolis led by Democrats to see a surge in Border Patrol brokers tasked with finishing up President Trump’s mass deportation marketing campaign.
DHS mentioned it dubbed the operation “Catahoula Crunch,” confirming plans reported by CBS News in mid-November. At the time, CBS News reported that Border Patrol was planning to dispatch roughly 200 brokers to New Orleans, to supervise operations there focusing on individuals suspected of being within the U.S. illegally. Internal company paperwork confirmed officers requested armored autos for the operation.
CBS News spoke Wednesday with Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino outdoors U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s workplace within the metropolis. Bovino mentioned they’d be within the Big Easy “till the mission is achieved,” and that up to now they’ve arrested “rather a lot, and nonetheless counting.” There are “a number of hundred brokers” unfold throughout the New Orleans space, Bovino mentioned.
In a press release earlier Wednesday, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin mentioned the administration focused New Orleans due to native insurance policies that restrict cooperation between native legislation enforcement officers and federal immigration authorities.Â
“Catahoula Crunch targets embody violent criminals who had been launched after arrest for residence invasion, armed theft, grand theft auto, and rape,” McLaughlin added. “Under President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem, we’re restoring legislation and order for the American individuals.”
Catahoulas are the official state canine of Louisiana.
Two U.S. officers informed CBS News that DHS has requested the Department of Defense for permission to make use of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans as a staging space for immigration operations.
Ryan Murphy / Getty Images 
Coinciding with the DHS announcement, the FBI’s discipline workplace in New Orleans mentioned it was partnering with the Louisiana State Police to guard the federal immigration brokers deployed to the realm and to curtail “makes an attempt to hinder legislation enforcement actions.”
Earlier this week, Mr. Trump mentioned he was planning to deploy National Guard troops to New Orleans for a separate anti-crime operation “in a few weeks,” although the administration has not introduced an actual date. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, has welcomed the plan to dispatch National Guard members, saying the deployment is required to curb violent crime.
The Border Patrol crackdown in New Orleans is the latest immigration enforcement operation launched by the second Trump administration in a Democratic-controlled metropolis. The administration has deployed a whole bunch of Border Patrol brokers to cities distant from a U.S. border, together with Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Border Patrol’s operations, led by controversial commander Bovino, have been met with harsh criticism from some native residents and elected officers, who’ve accused Bovino and his brokers of inflaming tensions by aggressive arrests and heavy-handed ways in opposition to protesters and different civilians. A federal choose within the Chicago space dominated that Border Patrol’s use of power had been extreme.
But Bovino has additionally been praised by supporters as a no-nonsense enforcer of Mr. Trump’s mass deportation marketing campaign. He has defended his brokers’ actions, together with their use of power in opposition to protesters, as justified given violent acts by some people.
Who Border Patrol has been arresting in these operations has additionally garnered controversy. In Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, Border Patrol brokers have been depicted on video smashing automobile home windows and arresting day laborers and different employees throughout “roving patrols” at Home Depot parking tons and different areas.
While Bovino and different Trump administration officers have mentioned Border Patrol is primarily focusing on immigrants within the U.S. illegally who even have dedicated severe crimes, CBS News reported final month that out of roughly 270 arrests within the Charlotte space, fewer than 90 detainees — roughly one third — had been categorized as criminals.
